Southern Transportation Projects Honored for Community Impact and Technological Innovation

GREENVILLE, S.C.— Twelve state department of transportation projects in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia have won top regional honors in the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards competition. From expanding transportation options in rural communities through microtransit to deploying cutting-edge innovations like advanced air mobility and vehicle-to-everything technology, these projects are making communities safer, more connected, and improving quality of life.

Selected from 34 projects submitted by 11 states in the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) region, these entries are part of a record 127 nominations from 45 state DOTs in this year’s overall competition. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the America’s Transportation Awards honor transportation projects that deliver meaningful benefits to communities. Projects compete in four categories—Quality of Life/Community Development, Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Safety.

“For almost two decades, the America’s Transportation Awards has highlighted the innovative work state DOTs do to improve communities and enhance the lives of the people who live and visit them. But the truth is, these projects are just a fraction of the incredible work done by state DOTs every year,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “AASHTO is proud to recognize the diverse and forward-thinking projects that are improving safety, mobility, and quality of life in communities across the country. As we look forward to the passage of a federal surface transportation reauthorization bill, this year’s winners underscore the importance of sustained federal investment in transportation and demonstrate how those resources are delivering meaningful benefits to residents, businesses, and travelers nationwide.”

Many of this year’s SASHTO regional winners benefited from federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA funding, demonstrating the critical role the next federal surface transportation legislation will play in continuing progress toward safer communities and improving mobility and access for all.

All nominated projects first compete at the regional level against projects of their own size: “Small” (projects costing up to $10 million), “Medium” (projects costing between $10 million and $100 million), and “Large” (projects costing more than $100 million). This year’s winning SASHTO regional projects are:

These SASHTO awards mark the final regional competition of the summer. Now that all regional winners have been announced, the top three scoring winners from each region will advance to the Top 12, which will be unveiled in early September. These standout projects will then compete for two national honors in the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards.

The Grand Prize will be chosen by an independent panel of transportation industry judges, while the People’s Choice Award will be decided through online public voting. AASHTO will reveal both winners at its annual meeting in November 2026 in Louisville, KY. The winners of both of those awards will each receive $10,000 to donate to a scholarship fund or charitable cause of their choice.

Visit https://americastransportationawards.org/ to learn more about this year’s SASHTO nominees.

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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials represents State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association catalyzing excellence in transportation.